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Paul Hamm
Background * Olympian Insights Hamm back on the mat Gold medalist ready for 1st meet since Athens Posted: Thursday February 7, 2008 LAS VEGAS (AP) -- After several months of training and tracking progress by his own standards, Paul Hamm finally gets to compete in front of a crowd and a scoreboard. The reigning Olympic gold medalist will compete in his first full meet since Athens, starting Thursday at the Winter Cup Challenge, a preliminary event for the U.S. men's team in the buildup to the Beijing Olympics in August. ADVERTISEMENT The two-day event concludes with finals Saturday. As much as winning, this is the 25-year-old gymnast's chance to see how the training, the new skills and his commitment to the comeback pay off on a real podium in a real competition. "I don't think I'll be more nervous for Winter Cup," Hamm said. "I'm starting to feel comfortable with the routines I'm doing. I feel like a gymnast again. I'm back out there and I'm ready." The last time Hamm appeared on the world stage was at the Athens Olympics, when a scoring controversy forced him to defend his gold medal all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, months after the games ended. He decided to take a break, went to college, got his accounting degree, but kept open the possibility of a return for 2008, which he committed to about this time a year ago. Last summer, Hamm competed on floor exercise and pommel horse at nationals and won the gold medal on floor. It was a most-encouraging sign that America might get its best gymnast back _ and in even better shape than when he left. But he didn't compete at world championships because he wasn't ready on the other four events. That took more doing. He has been working those routines in his gym in Columbus, Ohio and in training camps, and won four events at a men's intrasquad meet last month. Now, at a modestly sized sports center in Las Vegas, he will compile his first official six-event score on the road to Beijing. During his comeback, Hamm has been keeping an eye on the world's best -- Yang Wei of China, Fabian Hambuechen of Germany and Hiroyuki Tomita of Japan -- to see how they're handling the changes in gymnastics since it redesigned its code of points in the aftermath of several scoring problems in Athens. Meanwhile, very few have seen him, which he says may offer some edge in this comeback. "I think it may just come with the shock factor," he said. "It may be that people may not be expecting either myself or our team to be as strong. Then, they may see it and think, 'Shoot, we have someone else to worry about.' But I do plan to be competing enough so people will get a chance to see me. At that point, they'll know where I stand." Indeed, Hamm's schedule will be full. He's listed to compete at the American Cup next month, an annual event that brings together the best individual gymnasts from around the world. Men's nationals are scheduled for May and Olympic Trials are in June. He'll also mix in some overseas competition to get used to the grind of travel. While Hamm's progress will be easily measured, many are waiting to see how his brother, Morgan, comes back from a nasty pectoral injury that slowed his comeback plans. Paul said Morgan is ahead of schedule, shooting for an early spring to return to the four events he did when he helped the men win silver at the last Olympics -- floor, pommel, high bar and vault. "He went to a training camp with me (in January) and people were surprised with his progress," Paul Hamm said. If Morgan does return to full health, it will buoy the men's team in its quest to complete a stunning comeback. After losing every member of the 2004 Olympic team, they finished 13th at world championships in 2006 and were thought to be on the bubble to even qualify for Beijing. Then, last year, they rebounded to finish fourth -- without the Hamm brothers -- showing they could very well be a medal contender. Hamm knows there's no way he can improve on his status as the all-around gold medalist. Only match it. He'd also like to be part of that overall American comeback. From 13th to the medal stand in two years would be pretty impressive. "I just want to see if I can improve as an athlete and get better," he said. "Nothing's guaranteed. You go out there and compete and do your best, but you know there are no guarantees." Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Hamm